Patent Application
20140060174
The invention relates to radiosondes and sounding stations and equipment.
Sounding stations launch a radiosonde—atmospheric measurement devices and sensors coupled to a transmitter tethered to a balloon. Sounding stations are typically large, complex, and expensive systems.
There are instances when weather data is needed in the field. Examples include deployments and/or operation in areas not served by regular weather reports derived by government controlled sounding stations, (e.g., NOAA). Another example is when precise weather conditions are needed between regularly scheduled radiosonde launches.
So called “portable” sounding systems require a trailer to transport them, include a large antenna on a tripod, and/or are expensive, complex, and bulky.
In one aspect, the invention provides a small, packable, portable sounding system easily carried, easily deployed, and easy to use in order to provide real time weather data for weather dependent missions such as artillery support, aerial delivery, and the like.
Featured is a man packable, portable sounding kit comprising one or more balloons, a radiosonde attachable to a said balloon, and a data transceiver unit configured to receive atmospheric weather data from the radiosonde and also interfaceable with a computing device configured to utilize the weather data. A gas container configured for filling the balloon is provided as a part of the kit in one preferred example.
In one example, a fill hose assembly interconnects the gas container with a balloon. The fill hose assembly may include a balloon inflation nozzle coupled to a pressure regulator. The pressure regulator may include a regulator valve. In one version, the fill hose assembly includes a balloon fill valve adjacent the balloon inflation nozzle. One preferred balloon inflation nozzle includes spaced ribs. Also, the gas container may include a pressure indicator.
In one preferred embodiment, the components of the kit in total weigh less than 4 kgs. There may be two balloons and each balloon is typically less than 100 grams. The gas container typically has a volume of less than or equal to two liters.
The sounding kit may further include a case housing the balloons, the radiosonde, the data transceiver unit, and the gas container. In one example, each balloon is packaged with a radiosonde in a sleeve. Further included is a tether connecting the radiosonde to the balloon. The tether may include a balloon sealer. Further included may be ground station software loadable on the computing device and configured to interpret and display weather data.
Also featured is a sounding system comprising at least two balloons and at least two radiosondes each including a tether for connecting a radiosonde to a balloon. A gas container including gas sufficient for inflating the two balloons. A fill hose assembly includes a balloon inflation nozzle coupled to a pressure regulator. A data transceiver unit is configured to receive atmospheric weather data from the radiosonde. A case houses the balloons, radiosondes, data transceiver unit, gas container, and fill hose assembly.
The subject invention, however, in other embodiments, need not achieve all these objectives and the claims hereof should not be limited to structures or methods capable of achieving these objectives.
Other objects, features and advantages will occur to those skilled in the art from the following description of a preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, in which:
Aside from the preferred embodiment or embodiments disclosed below, this invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Thus, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. If only one embodiment is described herein, the claims hereof are not to be limited to that embodiment. Moreover, the claims hereof are not to be read restrictively unless there is clear and convincing evidence manifesting a certain exclusion, restriction, or disclaimer.
One preferred system continuously measures wind speed, wind direction, pressure, temperature, and humidity while ascending through the air column on a six cubic foot weather balloon about 32 inches in diameter. Helium tank 14 has a capacity for two deployments.
Forward deployed units or squads can report real-time weather conditions either by voice or net-centric data transmission to any user requiring the information. The data from the radiosonde can be imported into standard weather forecasting software to produce tactical weather reports. The complete kit preferably weighs less than 4 kg. In one example, it weighed less than 2 kg. Radiosonde 18 weights 38.3 g and is 12.3×37.9×34.7 cm. Transceiver 22 weights 112 g and is 9.5×4.3×1.9 cm. Helium bottle 12 weighs 1.7 kg (empty) and has a volume of 1.15 L at 4,500 psi. It is 34.3 cm tall×11 cm in diameter. Fill hose assembly 16 is 82.5 cm in length.
Helium bottle 14 may include bottle stand 40. Fill hose assembly 16 includes balloon inflation nozzle 50 coupled via coiled filling hose 52 to pressure regulator 54. Pressure regulator 54 includes regulator valve 56 and the fill hose assembly includes balloon fill valve 58 adjacent nozzle 50. One preferred inflation nozzle includes spaced ribs 60a and 60b. Also, bottle 14 includes pressure indicator 62.
Helium tank 14 is attached to fill hose assembly 16 and the pressure indicator 62 is checked to ensure helium tank 14 has sufficient pressure to launch a radiosonde. Radiosonde 18 is then prepared as shown in
Temperature/humidity sensor 80,
The primary components of the preferred radiosonde 18,
Wearable transceiver 22,
The result, in one preferred embodiment, is a small, packable, and portable sounding system easily carried, easily deployed, and easy to use in order to provide real time weather data for tactical weather dependent missions such as artillery support, aerial delivery, and the like.
Although specific features of the invention are shown in some drawings and not in others, this is for convenience only as each feature may be combined with any or all of the other features in accordance with the invention. The words “including”, “comprising”, “having”, and “with” as used herein are to be interpreted broadly and comprehensively and are not limited to any physical interconnection. Moreover, any embodiments disclosed in the subject application are not to be taken as the only possible embodiments.
In addition, any amendment presented during the prosecution of the patent application for this patent is not a disclaimer of any claim element presented in the application as filed: those skilled in the art cannot reasonably be expected to draft a claim that would literally encompass all possible equivalents, many equivalents will be unforeseeable at the time of the amendment and are beyond a fair interpretation of what is to be surrendered (if anything), the rationale underlying the amendment may bear no more than a tangential relation to many equivalents, and/or there are many other reasons the applicant can not be expected to describe certain insubstantial substitutes for any claim element amended.
Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the following claims.
